An Irish Easter

APOL was in Dublin over Easter to commemorate the centenary of the Easter Rebellion, the pivotal event that initiated the final struggle for Irish independence. It was a somber occasion, with tens of thousands lining the streets for a military parade and to witness, at noon Sunday, a reading of the historic Proclamation of the Irish Republic at the General Post Office, the headquarters of the uprising’s leaders.

APOL was subdued and respectful (even playing flipbook to distract a baby during a minute of silence); but as soon as the ceremonies were over it began talking itself up to Dubliners. (It’s on tour, after all.) The logical place to do this seemed to be the pubs, where the locals are known to congregate in very large numbers. Well, when in Rome (or Dublin, as it were). APOL repaired to the Brazen Head, a place where many a writer has gone before: Jonathan Swift (creator of Martin Scribler), for one; and the self-exiled James Joyce.

Joyce left Ireland for the continent in 1904, returning in 1909 to try to get his short story collection, Dubliners, published. The book was rejected repeatedly, but Joyce finally arranged publication. Alas, the deal fell through, and in 1912 he journeyed back to Ireland once more to collect the thousand copies that had been printed, intending to publish and distribute the book himself. He discovered that all but one copy had been destroyed. He left Ireland in a huff and never returned.

By contrast, APOL left Ireland with a hangover, and hopes to return soon.

A note to readers: APOL is the anthropomorphic version of my satirical novel A Person of Letters, gone on tour without its author (with a wink and a nod to magical realism). Follow APOL’s quixotic world tour here, or on my Facebook Author Page. For information about the book, go to Martin Scribler Media.